Guests

Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Carl got upgraded to the Blackberry Bold Touch, and now iHeartRadio won't stream. It just buffers. Leo says that since it's a company phone, the company may be shaping or blocking access. It may also be that the phone is out of date for the current version of iHeartRadio. It may also be that packets are being dropped by the app and it's causing it to buffer. Leo recommends TuneIn and Pandora apps. They essentially do the same thing. If that doesn't solve it, then it could be a specific issue with the phone itself.

It could be clicking speeds in Windows though, so he should first check in the Windows mouse settings. Leo also suggests getting a cheap wired mouse to see if that works. Then he'll know if it's a hardware issue. If it's not hardware, then he may need to update his mouse drivers, or reinstall them. Windows may have also broken the relationship with the mouse and that could be a registry issue. Leo says to log into safe mode and see if the mouse works there.

Another good thing to try is booting to a Linux Live CD, which will let him see if the mouse works in another OS environment.

If Windows is telling him it needs to be repaired, then he'll have to put in his Windows installation disc and select 'repair from the Install menu. Another option is the Ultimate Boot CD. The chatroom recommends the Trinity Rescue Kit.

Bob wants to know where the best place to get a SIM card is for his Sprint iPhone when he's in Europe. Leo says that Sprint uses CDMA, not GSM, which is what's required for a SIM card. However, the iPhone 5 is a world phone, meaning it has both CDMA and GSM options. With Sprint, however, the GSM slot is locked. He could go to Sprint and explain to them that he's going to Europe and ask if they'll unlock it. Then he could buy a local SIM while he's in Europe. The chatroom says that if he's a customer in good standing, Sprint should unlock it.

He'll have to make sure that the SIM cards he buys are good in the countries he's traveling to. Check out this site for a list of SIMs in different areas. TruePhone should work, as will VodaPhone.

Dan F in the chatroom says to turn off the dataplan and use a MiFi instead.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Michael has tried to move files onto his Google Nexus 7, but halfway through, the Nexus 7 freezes up. Leo says the card could be full. Copying a file larger than 2GB won't work, so keep it under that. File copying in Windows 7 and older was terrible and unreliable. So, it's not surprising that copying large files is problematic in Windows. Using the command line function "robocopy," (or "Robust File Copy") works better. Other choices include AirDroid or DropBox.

Taryn has a Canon camera and it's software requires OS 10.6, and she has OS 10.4. Leo says that there's no need to use the Canon software. It's terrible and unnecessary. In fact, since Taryn is on the Mac, iPhoto will work just fine. Should she upgrade OS X? Leo says that the nice thing about OS X is that it's cheap to upgrade. The downside is that older hardware may not support the latest (Mountain Lion). Taryn's MacBook can go up to OS 10.6, though, but there's no real need to rush to upgrade since she'll get the latest OS when she upgrades to a new Mac.

Fred got a Google Nexus 7 tablet over Christmas and he's not really that much of a fan. He's frustrated because sites that he visits that run flash don't work. Leo says no tablet handles a flash website very well, which is why websites need to be conscious of the mobile world and dump flash. It's antiquated, has security issues, and way too processor heavy for any tablet to handle. There are some ways to get flash on the tablet, but he won't like the results. If a site is ignoring mobile users, it's on them, not on the user. Flash is so bad, that even Adobe themselves have dropped it for mobile devices.

Fred is wondering why YouTube works though. Leo says that's because YouTube uses HTML 5 for mobile devices and is transitioning all their videos to it. Sites also want users to download their apps from the Google Play store and get their content that way. It's another hoop to jump through, but that's it.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Charlie wants a tablet, but he also needs a laptop. He's wondering if the Microsoft Surface Pro would be a good solution. Leo says it's a very nice option, and he'll want the 128GB version, which is in short supply. If he orders it from the Microsoft store, he'll get it within a week to ten days. Charlie will also want the type keyboard cover as well.

Leo also recommends considering the Acer Iconia, but Leo says the Surface Pro is probably as good as anything else in that category right now.

Tom just bought Microsoft Office 2010 and now they've released 2013. Should he upgrade again? Leo says no, that's not necessary. He doesn't need to spend $100 a year to subscribe unless he needs the Microsoft cloud options. He would get five installs though, plus Office 365 online. But he can do everything in 2013 in 2010 with only a step or two extra. So he should just stick with 2010.

Carlos is concerned about the Six Strikes system starting up on Monday. He says that file sharing (and Carlos admits some piracy) music and video made him a better consumer, from Software to music. He discovered new stuff that made him want to buy. He even buys apps that he's picked up on the Internet, to try before he buys. Leo says that while he doesn't support piracy, having a try before you buy policy is a great way to give users the chance to test drive their product. Be honest. Be Ethical. Users should buy stuff they use.

Leo says that a memory leak is when a program claims memory and never releases it even after it's needed, and that's not usually how mobile devices work. Apps that have memory leaks in portable devices just keep acquiring memory until the app crashes, and that's why most mobile device OS's are designed to prevent that. If he jailbreaks the device, all bets are off and some apps are just poorly written. As a result, they'll just force close.

David has heard about ClearBand wireless internet called OMGFast for $29.99 a month for 50MBPS. Leo says it's essentially WiMax and suggests going to BroadbandReports.com to find out what others think and get reviews. Users are reporting a constant 45-55mbps down, 4mbps up consistently. Latency isn't great for real time gaming or VOIP.

Always remember that mileage may vary. Others are saying that it's inconsistent as well. One downside is that he'd have to use their router, and he may have to pay for equipment. People seem to be quite happy with it, nonetheless.

Jennifer lives out in the sticks and has no Internet access. Can she use her cellular internet with her computer? Her reception isn't that great for 3G. Leo says that's not going to work. Latency and lag will kill her internet service over 3G. And the bandwidth caps aren't really worth it either, especially if she's gaming. There are some solutions like Satellite - Dish offers 4G speeds for about $30 a month. Wild Blue Excede is another. Latency will be an issue for gaming with this, though.

What about the Wilson extender? Leo says that doesn't work if she's not within range of a good signal.

This Week in Tech News

T-Mobile has announced that it is launching its own Android phone called the REVVL, made by Alcatel. The phone will have a fingerprint sensor and cost $125. Leo says that security patches must be done regularly or saving money on a house phone simply isn't going to be beneficial.

Consumer Reports has been seeing poor long term reliability in the data they are collecting from readers on Microsoft's Surface line of products. It's so bad that they've downgraded their recommendation to "Do Not Buy." Leo says that long term reliability is something that Consumer Reports goes to great expense to analyze and that they're probably on the money with their decision.

Wired Magazine is reporting that hackers have managed to encode a computer virus into DNA, which can then infect any computerized instrument that is used to analyze the strand. If hackers are now creating malware in our DNA, how can it be fought? Fortunately, though, it's not a very practical or widespread application. Yet.

This week, the US Army issued a directive ordering soldiers to not use DJI drones and other UAVs due to cyber vulnerabilities and the potential for spying by the devices on the battlefield. DJI is shocked by the move without consultation. What would be the threat? Leo says that drones have radios and GPS, and often have internet connectivity. So it's possible that drones could be taken over by a third party and used for spying, especially for mapping terrain. But Leo says it's also likely there's could be a certain amount of paranoia at work here. The Army may know something we don't though because of the risk associated with battlefield operations. But could DJI drones spy on us? Leo doesn't think so. Your mobile devices and "internet of things" can be more of a threat.